1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a lamp and, more particularly, to a lamp with a cooling function.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a conventional lamp 7 having a light-emitting module 71 that provides an illumination function. In FIG. 7, the heat generated during operation of the light-emitting module 71 could deteriorate the operation of the light-emitting module 71 if the conventional lamp 7 is not equipped with any cooling apparatus. This could further shorten the service life of the conventional lamp 7. In light of this, the light-emitting module 71 of the conventional lamp 7 is usually coupled with a heat sink 72 to absorb the heat generated by the light-emitting module 71, avoiding the light-emitting module 71 from generating a massive amount of heat.
Although the light-emitting module 71 can obtain longer service life by using the heat sink 72, the light-emitting module 71 will inevitably generate a great deal of heat while emitting lights with greater brightness. At this point, the heat sink 72 alone can not prevent the light-emitting module 71 from overheating. Furthermore, since the heat sink 72 has a larger volume, the conventional lamp 7 will be heavier, resulting in inconvenience in use.
Referring to FIG. 2, another conventional lamp 8 is disclosed by Taiwanese Patent No. I316121 entitled “lamp”. The conventional lamp 8 includes a housing 81 consisting of a first housing 811 and a second housing 812. Both the first housing 811 and the second housing 812 have an air outlet portion 811a and an air inlet portion 812a. The first housing 811 has a heat sink 82, a light-emitting element 83 and a cooling fan 84 disposed therein, with the heat sink 82 located between the light-emitting element 83 and the cooling fan 84. In such an arrangement, the cooling fan 84 may draw air via the air inlet portion 812a and expel air via the air outlet portion 811a. Thus, the housing 81 may form an air-guiding room therein that allows air circulation and provides cooling effect.
Although the conventional lamp 8 is equipped with the cooling fan 84 for cooling purpose, the air-guiding room in the housing 81 has a complex shape. This hinders the air from smoothly flowing in the air-guiding room, degrading the cooling performance of the conventional lamp 8 and increasing the structural complexity of the conventional lamp 8. Furthermore, when the cooling fan 84 draws and guides air to flow past the heat sink 82, the dust contained in the air may accumulate on the cooling fan 84 and the heat sink 82. To wipe the dust off the cooling fan 84, the first housing 811 and the second housing 812 should be removed apart to take out the cooling fan 84 as the cooling fan 84 is located between the air outlet portion 811a and the air inlet portion 812a. This results in an inconvenient in cleaning the conventional lamp 8.
Moreover, since the housing 81 requires two housings (namely, the first housing 811 and the second housing 812), more components are used and the overall structure is more complex. In addition, since the heat sink 82, light-emitting element 83 and cooling fan 84 are contained in the housing 81, it is required to form a plurality of holes as the air outlet portion 811a and the air inlet portion 812a on the housing 81. This results in an inconvenience in processing the conventional lamp 8 and increases the manufacturing costs of the conventional lamp 8.
In some occasions, it is required to partially insert the conventional lamp 8 into a decorative ceiling consisting of a plurality of ceiling panels for aesthetic consideration. Therefore, the air outlet portion 811a and the air inlet portion 812a will be settled into a confined space right above the decorative ceiling where the ventilation is poor while leaving only the light-emitting element 83 beneath the decorative ceiling for illumination purpose. As a result, the heat of the conventional lamp 8 will accumulate in the confined space, shortening the service life of the conventional lamp 8.
Still further, referring to FIG. 3, Taiwanese Patent No. M368765 discloses an outdoor LED lamp 9. The outdoor LED lamp 9 includes a base plate 91 having a first ventilation portion 911 and a second ventilation portion 912. The base plate 91 is coupled with a cooling air-guiding cover 92, with a cooling fan 93 disposed between the first ventilation portion 911 and the second ventilation portion 912. In such an arrangement, the cooling fan 93 can drive air to enter the cooling air-guiding cover 92 via the first ventilation portion 911 and expel air via the second ventilation portion 912, thus dispelling the heat generated by LEDs mounted on the base plate 91.
Similar to the conventional lamp 8, however, it is also difficult to clean the outdoor LED lamp 9 as the cooling fan 93 of the outdoor LED lamp 9 is located between the first ventilation portion 911 and the second ventilation portion 912. Furthermore, the base plate 91 also requires forming the first ventilation portion 911 and the second ventilation portion 912, causing much inconvenience in manufacturing.